Fly Like an Eagle

The other day I was moving some heavy cement blocks, landscaping tools and a variety of other items that had suddenly revealed themselves thanks to the disappearing snow. Deciding that I deserved a break, which I often do, I headed over to my pick-up and leaned over the hood. The sun was shining brightly and the heat radiating off the hood felt so wonderful that I extended my arms across it, laying one side of my face on the warm metal.

It was an awesome pre-spring moment. I could hear the sound of birds chirping noisily. The sunlight was warming everything it touched and a gentle southern breeze began blowing through my hair. Even the smell of compost brewing, a smell that normally repulses me, was pleasant. My thoughts turned to the garden and I wondered happily when the soil might be warm enough to begin turning it and working it again.

Suddenly a “Woooosh!,” sound came from directly overhead and the sunlight disappeared for millisecond. It sounded so close and was so loud that I was more than a little startled. I instantly and instinctively crouched as if I were on top of the hill during deer season when a rifle shot explodes nearby from some unseen hunter.

I looked up, beginning to mouth, “What the heck?!,” but stopped mid-sentence. There above me was a bald eagle. It's white face was brilliant in the sunshine and its wings were fully extended. It was beautiful. And it was huge!

It continued on its journey gliding over the garage roof and down over the valley. It could not have been more than 30 feet above me when it had passed over and I was stunned by how close it had come. We have seen many bald eagles since moving out here in 2002 but I had never seen one in the wild this close.

I continued to watch in awe as it flew effortlessly over the tree tops. Steve Miller's song, “Fly Like an Eagle,” came to mind as I thought about how cool it would be to view the land from that eagle's vantage point. I kept my eyes on it until it disappeared behind a hillside where the valley bends to the south. I couldn't help but smile.